I need some word of advice. I am being offered a position in a nursing home. The orientation is only five days, and then I would be on my own. I am scared that I might not be able to grasp all of the new information being thrown at me in this time frame. Is this a normal amount of time for orientation? Or am I right to be scared? By the way I am a new grad, so no experience here.
Thank You!
P.s. If anyone has any tips on how to "survive" in a nursing home please share!
Five days seems really short for a new grad but unfortunately, as others have said, it seems to be the norm. I worked for an ALF that hired new grads after I had over 12 years of nursing experience. I got three days orientation and I thought that was fair because I had a strong acute care background and it would just be a transition to a different setting. Then I got to see all the new grads when they were hired and a lot of them I trained. They also got only three days and to be honest I don't think it was a fair arrangement for them or the residents.
Now, your situation is different in that since it's a nursing home you will also be providing skilled care. Your facility has a lot of beds but since a nurse must pass the residents meds and not a med tech, along with skilled nursing care (that most ALFs are not licensed for), you will not be assigned to all of the patients as the only nurse on duty. There will be other nurses, most likely experienced, that you can go to for guidance. If you are at the end of your orientation and you do not feel that you can manage the ratio safely, then I would suggest asking for more time. You worked hard for your license and you don't want to lose it because you put yourself in an unsafe situation (plus you don't want to endanger a resident either). If they don't understand then maybe this isn't the right place to work.
I understand that finding employment as a new grad can be hard in some areas, but there are employers that will work with you so that you feel comfortable with your assignment and they feel comfortable that their residents are safely cared for, you just have to look harder for these opportunities and may need to relocate if necessary.
Thank you very much for your response. You are right, I would never want to put anyones life in danger as well as my license. Since I haven't had my orientation yet, I can say how I feel about this position, however I will definitely listen to my gut once its over.
Will they allow you to shadow for a day or two before accepting the position? That would allow you to see first hand how the facility operates. You will then be able to make a better informed decision. Good luck to you.
Not enough time. Tell them professionally that you are looking forward to the best possible care and high standards for their patients. In order to achieve this as a new graduate, you feel that 3 weeks minimum of preceptoring would be what you need. Any professional place will not disagree to this.
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
5 days is about average for an LTC position (yes even for a new grad) still hopefully you will have some decent co-workers willing to show you the ropes. There is a high turn-over in LTC as New grads come and go once they have their year in. I currently work LTC and will tell you that the care is less complex for most patients than it is in acute care so you have a bit more time to learn what you need to know about the patients. The hardest part is usually the shear numbers of patients you have to care for. There are no staffing ratios in LTC. They are only required to have as many staff as are needed for safe patient care and the facility director determines that number.
You can message me here if you want to discuss further.
I was new 4 months ago and I told my employer that I was nervous. They were only going to give me 5 days orientation and when I told them I was nervous they said they'd give me a few extra days. They said 8-10 and it ended up being 8, which was ok.
There's always an RN and where I work two other LPNs. The LPNs are super busy with their med pass, but they might be able to help you out with yours, that's what some did for me.
You get a census sheet at the beginning of your shift and you can use it to keep track of things you need to do. I use highlighters -once I've highlighted the room number, then I know I've passed meds for that person. I highlight spaces where BGTs go, etc.
I use a clipboard and I have a pencil case with extra pens, a Sharpie, extra scissors, some lancets (we've run out- ugh), my highlighters, and my own oximeter. I also spent a dollar and got some nail clippers because I can never find any.
Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.
Actually,, unfortunately I have seen three day orientation in several LTC....with 310 bed, There will be other lic nurses present, trust me they will not have a lot of time, but they are there.......my biggest hurdle, in any new LTC, I have not worked in, is learning the residents......
One strategy is to know what you don't know. Do your "tasky" big ticket items first. Get them out of the way. Next do everything you know how to do and don't need help. Get help from your buddy for things that you don't know how to do.
Let us know when you start and how it goes. That is if you accept the position
I spoke to HR today, and they said that its not really a 5 day orientation, more like 2-3... I was very flabbergasted. However, the lady said that the nurses there are extremely helpful and that I could always ask for help. I decided to accept the offer since I dont exactly have jobs lining up for me. Also, my starting salary will be slightly more than what new grads are offered around here.
I will update after I go through the orientation.
Thanks to everyone who commented. I love this community and all of the fellow nurses!
Well, from my experience, 5 days is very typical for nursing homes. No advice really. Hang in there, I guess? Any feelings of being overwhelmed are COMPLETELY normal. Hopefully you will have good coworkers. For me, the team made the biggest difference. One place, everyone made me feel like it was me. Like I was too slow, that I should have picked up on things sooner. They were a bunch of bullies. I lasted 3 months. Where I'm at now, it's a great team of nurses. I've been there 4 months. For me, supportive coworkers is what did the trick with making me actually want to stay.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I wish you the best. I have LTC experience, and while the other nurses may mean to be helpful, if it's like other typical LTCs, you won't get much help cause they will be overwhelmed doing med passes, IV therapies, treatments and wound care for anywhere from 30 to 60 residents. There never seem to be enough aides to get the baths and bed/brief changes done and resident feeding, so you will have to help them. You will be assisting with dining room feeding and passing trays, as well as moving/transferring residents and doing linen/brief changes. It's unbelievably fast-paced and busy. The documentation is very, very daunting. Most LTCs have the gov't heavily involved in controlling things, and you will be doing double/triple charting to please CMS/State inspectors.
It seemed I would just get the morning med passes done and it was time for the 12 o'clocks already.
One good thing is the day went very fast for me. 8 or 10 hours would pass in the blink of an eye.
But you are decided. So, if I were you, I would NOT agree to come off orientation til you are comfortable with all that is expected of you. 3 days is not enough; heck, it takes weeks to get to know your residents and their peculiarities and routines. And you will need to know, because they will need to trust you to cooperate with meals, treatments and med passes. Some nurses have a real knack; I worked with one of them. She was amazing but far too busy to really orient me properly. I just tried to emulate her routine and way with the residents to keep afloat.
Tell ya what: One fall can take up your whole day in paperwork, neuro checks and injury assessment plus, you have to notify family members, who can get quite understandably upset, and doctors. And God forbid, have to send them to the hospital for evaluation due to an injury severe enough to warrant hospitalization. The paperwork is overwhelming. Preventing and dealing with falls will be one of your many tasks, and it ain't easy.
I love the elderly, but LTC was so stressful.
I hope you have a better experience than I did. I was a nurse with several years' acute care experience, and the whole experience was soul-sucking and exhausting for me. I really do wish you the very best.
vulupure
38 Posts
Thank you very much for your response. You are right, I would never want to put anyones life in danger as well as my license. Since I haven't had my orientation yet, I can say how I feel about this position, however I will definitely listen to my gut once its over.
Sent from my iPhone using allnurses